The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday announced it is filing a lawsuit against Louisiana Crane Company LLC, headquartered in Eunice, for discriminating against foreign workers.

The Justice Department complaint alleges the company violated the Immigration and Nationality Act's anti-discrimination provision by requiring more stringent documentation from immigrants during the employment eligibility verification process, according to a news release.

Specifically, the complaint states that, from around January 2013 until around September 2013, Louisiana Crane Company LLC required employees who it believed were non-U.S. citizens to present specific documentation for the Form I-9 and/or E-Verify, but allowed those it believed were U.S. citizens the flexibility of presenting a variety of documents, the news release states.

The INA's anti-discrimination provision prohibits employers from discriminating against people with permission to work in the United States because of their citizenship status.

Kevin Lashus, an immigration shareholder at Jackson Lewis law firm in Austin, Texas, issued the following statement to The Daily Advertiser Friday on behalf of Louisiana Crane.

"We very much look forward to working with the U.S. Department of Justice on this case. We understand this may have been a referral from USCIS (U.S. Customs and Immigration Service) for further inquiry based upon our participation in the E-Verify program," Lashus said.

"Louisiana Crane is committed to verification compliance, hiring those folks authorized to work in the U.S. and, frankly, hiring as many folks as we need to get our work done and doing so in a non discriminatory fashion," he concluded.

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